Earth anchor



May 9, 1933. v. s2 DURBIN 1,907,759

EARTH ANCHOR Filed Feb. 13, 1932 /N Vex/rop.' Vo mw 5. JUPE/N Patented May 9, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE VOTAW B. DURBIN, F BT. LOUIS, MISSOURI EARTH lL'EICHIOIILK,

Applicationl tiled February 13, 1932. Serial No. 592,695.

This invention relates to certain new and therefore, is free at all times to move over useful improvements in expansible earth anthe screw-rod 4. Mounted on, and having chors for use, more particularly, in holding screw-threaded engagement with the screwthe guy or brace wires of telegraph and telerod 4, 1s a triangular wedge-block, 8, Fig- 5 phone poles. ures 1, 2, 3 and 4, the inclined sides of which 55 The general objects of the invention are to are on the upper side of the wedge-block. produce an earth anchor which will be se- This wedge-block is designed to be forced into eurely held in its expanded Condition when engagement with the under sides of the wings embedded in the ground; and to provide 1 and 2 to turn them outwardly and to hold novel means to enable the anchor rod to be them firmly in their expanded position. To 00 readily and securely connected to the anchor. this end, I provide the followlng construc- The invention is illustrated in the accomtion. l panying drawing, in which The under side of each of the wings 1, 2,

F1 re 1 is a vertical sectional view show- 1s provided with parallel ribs, 9, which, as

ing t e anchor placed in position at the bot- Shown by Figure 3, are spaced apart a suli- 65 tom of a hole dug in the ground, and showcient distance to receive the .Wedge block ing the position of the parts prior to xpandbetween them, The underside of each wing in the wings of the anchor; between the r1bs 9 is provided with stepped `i re 2 is a similar view showing the projectlons, or locking teeth, 10, which are position of the parts after the wings of the adapted to be engaged by similar teeth, 11, 70 anchor have been expanded into engagement fOImed 0n the inclined, OI upper SiCleS, 0f the with the walls of the hole; Wedge-block 8. Thus, when the screw-rod Figure 3 is a bottom plan view, viewed 4 1s turned clock-wise, or downwardly, the in the direction of the arrow in Figure 2; Wedge-block 8 Will engage the under sides Figure 4 is a cross sectional view on an of the wings 1, 2, and force them outwardly 75 enlarged scale taken on the line 4 4 of Figunt1l the lugs 7 on the wings prevent further ure 3; movement thereof, further turning of the Figure 5 is a cross sectional view 0n an screw-rod then forcing the teeth 1l 0n the enlarged scale, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig- Wedge-block into engagement with the teeth ure 2, illustrating one form of the connection 10 on the two wings. This engagement of 8o of the anchor rod with the anchor; the teeth 10 and 11 operates to hold the wings Figure 6 is a view partly in side elevation firmly in their expanded position, and to and partly in section, showing a modiicaprevent any tendency of the wings to coltion in the way of connecting the anchor rod lapse.

to the anchor; and It is necessary to secure the lower end of 85 Figure 7 is a cross sectional view on an an anchor rod, 12, in the anchor, the anchor enlarged scale taken on the line 7-7 of Figrod, of course, being adapted, as usual, to ure 6. project above the ground and being provided Referring now to the drawing, the nuat its upper end with an eye (not shown) to merals 1, 2, indicate the two wings of the which one end of a guy wire is secured. 90 anchor, which are pivotally connected to each Prior to my invention, it has been proposed other at 3 on either side of a screw-rod, 4, to screw the lower end of the anchor rod 12 having on its upper end a rectangular socket into the socket head 5. This, however, is head, 5. Each of the wings is cut away cenobjectionable, for the reason that if this is trally at its inner end to provide a space 6, attempted to be done after the anchor is 95 Figure 5, and each wing has a shoulder, 7, lowered into the hole, it is quite difficult to engaging the opposite wing, to limit the properly insert the screw-threaded end of outward movement of the wings so as to prethe anchor rod in the screw-threaded opening vent the wall of the opening 6 from binding of the socket head 5, and very frequently the 5 against the screw-rod 4. The anchor proper, attempts to do this have resulted in crosswidth of the threads.

cutting the threads at this point and making the connection of the ro'd with the head insecure. Even if the anchor rod is screwed into the head 5 before the anchor is lowered into the hole, there is always the danger that care-- less workmen will cross-cut the threads in screwing the rod into position; and, moreover, even if this operation is properly performed, it has been found that the screwthreaded connection will not hold under all conditions of strain, and there is a liability of the threads breaking, and the anchor rod being pulled out of the anchor.

According to the preferred form of the invention, the socket head 5 is open on one side, as indicated in Figures 1, 2 and 5, and is provided with a central, longitudinal recess, 13, which terminates in an enlarged recess, 14, at the lower end of the head. The bottom of the latter, is, of course, rigidly secured to the upper end of the screw rod 4. In fact, it is, or may be, cast integral with the screw rod. The lower end of the anchor rod 12 is provided with a head, 15, Figures 2 and 5, which is of a size to be received into the recess 14 in the socket head, the longitudinal recess 13 being of a size to snugly receive the portion of the rod 12 extending above the head 15. In connecting the anchor rod 12 with the socket head, its lower end is inserted sidewise, so that the head 15 thereon fits into the recess 14, after which a rectangular ferrule, or keeper, 16, Figures 2 and 5, is driven down on the socket head into firm frictional engagement with the walls thereof, to prevent removal of the head 15 from its socket. As shown by Figure 2, the socket head 5 is formed with an upward taper, so that the keeper 16 when driven down may be firmly engaged therewith.

In Figures 6 and 7, I have shown a modification in the way of securing the anchor rod in the socket head. In this form of the invention, the recess 14 is formed rectangular, as indicated at 17, and a rectangular nut 18 is inserted therein, after which the lower end of the anchor rod 12, which is screw-threaded, as indicated at 19, is screwed into the nut. The keeper 16 is then driven into engagement with the socket head about the nut, as before.

I have found that the use of cut or machined threads on the screw rod 4 are objectionable, for the reason that there is danger of cross-cutting the threads, and it is also desirable to have a somewhat looser fit between the threads on the screw rod and the female threads in the wedge-block than obtains when cut threads are employed. To this end, as more clearly illustrated in Figure 4, I employ on the screw rod what I term rolled threads, 20 which are formed by casting the threads as a part of the rod. These threads, as shown, are rounded, and the spaces 21 between them are of greater width than the Corresponding female threads are, of course, cast in the wedge block. This arrangement, in effect, increases the pitch of the threads and enables the wedge block to be moved much more rapidly into position than when cut threads are employed.

Likewise, due to the rounded character and spacing of the threads, there is not the same degree of frictional engagement between these threads and the female threads in the wedge-block as would obtain in the case of cut threads, with the result that the screw rod may be turned with the expenditure of a minimum of power, and the wedge block will be easily and rapidly moved upward on the same.

For turning the screw rod 4, I employ a tubular member, 22, Figure 1, which may be a section of pipe, the lower end of which is formed with a rectangular socket to lit over the socket head 5. If the anchor rod 12 is first secured in the socket head, the tubular member 22 is simply passed over the rod into engagement with the socket head, and after the anchor has been expanded to the position shown in Figure 2, the tubular member is removed.

It remains to state that when inserting the anchor into the hole formed in the ground, I find it desirable to temporarily connect the lower ends of the wings 1, 2, with the outer ends of the wedge block 8, by passing pieces of wire through the holes formed in these members and twisting the wire, as indicated at 24 in Figure 1, to keep the wings from swinging out and obstructing the downward movement of the anchor. These pieces of wire are readily broken when the wedge block is forced upward into engagement with the wings of the anchor.

I claim:

1. An earth anchor comprising, in combination, a pair of wings pivotally connected together at their inner ends, a screw-rod loosely mounted in a space provided between said inner pivoted ends, a Wedge block mounted on said screw-rod and'adaptedto be moved into engagement with the under sides of said wings to expand the .same by turning said screw-rod, a socket head secured on the upper end of said screw-rod having an open-sided, a shouldered recess provided therein, an anchor rod adapted 'to have its lower end inserted in said recess and provided with a member for engaging the shoulders thereof, and a keeper inserted on said socket head and adapted to be forced into rigid frictional engagement therewith to prevent the removal of the lower end of said anchor rod from the socket head.

2. An earth anchor comprising, in combination, a pair of wings pivotally connected together at their inner ends, a screw-rod loosely mounted in a space provided between said pivoted inner ends, a triangular wedge block mounted on said screw-rod and adapted to have its inclined sides moved into engagement with the under sid-esof said wings to expand the same by turning said screwrod, a rectangular socket head secured on the upper end of said screw-rod and provided with a shouldered recess open at one side and being tapered upwardly, an anchor rod adapted to have its lower end inserted laterally into said recess and provided with a head adapted to engage theshoulders thereof, and a keeper inserted on said socket head and adapted to be driven into rigid, frictional engagement with the tapered walls thereof to prevent removal of the lower headid pdertion of the anchor rod from said socket In testimony whereof, I have hereunto Set my hand.

VOTAW S. DURBIN. 

